Principal Space Avionics Hardware Development Engineer Verified today

About Varda

Varda accelerates commercial space infrastructure development, from in-orbit pharmaceutical processing to reliable and economical reentry capsules. Varda's W-Series vehicles, heat shields, pharmaceutical processing payloads, and satellite buses are built, designed, and operated entirely in-house. The company enables manufacturing of products in space that can only be made there, expanding the economic bounds of humankind.

The Role

As Principal Space Avionics Hardware Engineer, you will be the architect and designer of flight-critical electrical hardware for the satellite bus, reentry vehicle, and customer payloads. Examples include flight computers, satellite power systems, and sensors for navigation and pharmaceutical manufacturing monitoring.

You will define subsystem requirements based on high-level mission and company objectives, design to those requirements, and ensure manufactured systems meet specification. You will also define safe operating criteria and support the mission operations team on risk tradeoffs when operating near design bounds.

Responsibilities

• PCB-level electronics design across all lifecycle stages: schematic capture, layout, design validation, fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing test
• Contribute to avionics architecture and system design for next-generation vehicles and hardware block upgrades
• Define standards, processes, and procedures for electrical engineering excellence at Varda
• Distil high-level company and mission objectives into requirements, designs, and developmental milestones for your subsystems
• Serve as avionics subject matter expert for satellite, reentry vehicle, and payload hardware, supporting GNC, pharmaceutical, mission operations, and integration teams
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (flight software, thermal, GNC, structures) to determine system-wide impacts of design decisions
• Own product acceptance and qualification testing for space environments (Thermal, Vibe, Shock, TVAC, EMI) with Avionics Test team support
• Direct system-level integration test plans to verify hardware performance at vehicle level
• Perform root cause analysis on test failures and implement holistic mitigation strategies for flight risks
• Mentor junior engineers on projects, challenges, and design methodologies

Basic Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering or related engineering discipline
• 8+ years of direct experience designing electronics hardware (schematic capture, PCB layout, board bring-up, environmental qualification) for aerospace, automotive, or other high-reliability industries
• 3+ years of direct experience on hardware for space applications
• Demonstrated experience owning architecture and implementation of complex electronics systems from design to production and deployment
• Advanced PCB design expertise: high-speed signal integrity, power and grounding, electromagnetic compatibility
• Experience taking complex PCB designs through fabrication and assembly
• Expert user of Altium and/or KiCad EDA suites
• Strong hands-on lab experience with electronic test equipment: oscilloscopes, function generators, digital multimeters, power supplies
• Programming experience in Python, MATLAB, or another scripting/data analysis language
• Demonstrated experience implementing on-board and over-harness communication protocols: SPI, RS422, 1000BASE-T
• Experience designing analog and digital filtering and mixed-signal circuits
• Power electronics design experience including load switches and switch-mode DC:DC converters
• Understanding of aerospace sensor and actuator technologies: RTDs, pressure transducers, brushless motors, solenoid valves, thermocouples, stepper motors, rotary and linear encoders

Preferred Skills

• Industry-leading electronic circuit design and analysis skills
• Strong general knowledge in physics, math, and chemistry fundamentals for designing electronics in unique environments

Compensation and Location

• Salary range: $181,913 to $262,763 per year
• On-site in El Segundo, California
• Leveling and base salary determined by job-related skills, education, experience, and performance
• Eligible for long-term incentives in stock options and/or long-term cash awards

Work Authorization

Varda must ensure employees working in the United States are lawfully authorized. Because employees have access to export-controlled items, Varda hires only US persons permitted access without an export license. US person means: US citizen, US lawful permanent resident, or protected individual admitted as refugee or granted asylum.